Time Well Spent: Misery, Meaning, and the Opportunity of Incarceration

Wright, Kevin A.

doi:10.1111/hojo.12352

Cited by 16 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Furthermore, we find that some people decrease in criminal activity after confinement, whereas fewer increase and most stay about the same (see also Frisch, 2018). Our findings that confinement can be a setting for change supports the call for incarceration to be “time well spent” (Wright, 2020). Confinement should provide opportunities for individuals to change and grow—as well as signal that change and growth.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Confinement as a two‐stage turning point: Do changes in identity or social structure predict subsequent changes in criminal activity?^*

Hickert¹,

Bushway

Nieuwbeerta

et al. 2020

Criminology

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Scholars frequently characterize incarceration as a possible turning point in criminal activity. This implies a two‐stage process: 1) change in life‐course mechanisms around confinement and reentry result in 2) subsequent change in criminal activity relative to preconfinement. Following this model, we examine change in criminal activity, criminal identity, and social/structural challenges using data from the Prison Project, a cohort of adult males with short‐term confinement in the Netherlands in 2010–2011. Results of a novel test for within‐individual change in arrests from preconfinement to post‐reentry show that most individuals are stable—yet there is a substantial group who go down meaningfully and a much smaller group who go up. Even though changes in criminal identity from the intervening period do not predict these change groups, increases in social/structural challenges predict those who go up in criminal activity. We build from prior work on desistance and reentry, contrasting our findings and highlighting the unique insight gained from, as well as challenges of, measuring individual change within our two‐stage turning point model. Although life‐course mechanisms often correspond with changes in criminal activity concurrently, identifying individual changes that are predictors of subsequent shifts in criminal offending remains elusive.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Confinement as a two‐stage turning point: Do changes in identity or social structure predict subsequent changes in criminal activity?^*

Hickert¹,

Bushway

Nieuwbeerta

et al. 2020

Criminology

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“…These employment barriers are costly because quality work not only reduces recidivism but also is vital for financial independence and accessing housing and healthcare absent of government and familial supports (Laub & Sampson, 2003; Silva, 2012). Prison credentials—prison program certificates and work experiences—are proposed as one solution to counter the negative mark of a prison record by signaling criminal desistance and employability (Bushway & Apel, 2012; Duwe & Henry‐Nickie, 2021; Lee & Stohr, 2012; McNeill, 2015; Wright, 2020). Yet, the efficacy of prison credentials on employment outcomes is mixed (Davis et al., 2013; Duwe, 2017; Duwe & Henry‐Nickie, 2021; Latessa, 2020; Latessa et al., 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rather than signal criminal desistance and employability, the prison credential dilemma considers the possibility of prison credentials sending contradictory information about applicants, which employers may interpret in numerous ways. Employers may interpret prison credentials as criminal desistance and employability signals (Bushway & Apel, 2012; Collins, 1979; Wright, 2020), resulting in positive postprison labor market outcomes as intended. Prison credentials, however, can also indicate applicants’ incarceration histories (Pager, 2003; Sugie et al., 2020), especially if employers do not recognize them as desistance and employability signals (Connelly et al., 2011; Densley & Pyrooz, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Damned if you do, damned if you don't: How formerly incarcerated men navigate the labor market with prison credentials*

Lindsay

2022

Criminology

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Although employment is central to successful reentry, formerly incarcerated people struggle to find work because of criminal stigma, poor education, and sparse work histories. Prison credentials are proposed as one solution to alleviate these challenges by signaling criminal desistance and employability. Evidence regarding their efficacy, however, is inconsistent. In this article, I develop a novel explanation—the prison credential dilemma—highlighting the numerous and contradictory ways employers may interpret prison credentials as positive and negative signals. Drawing on 50 qualitative interviews with formerly incarcerated men in Franklin County, Ohio, I examine how the prison credential dilemma and the uncertainty it produces shape their job search strategies and pathways to employment. I find that participants concealed or obscured institutional affiliations of prison credentials on job applications to signal employability rather than their criminal records. In job interviews, however, prison credentials were used to divert conversations away from their criminal record toward skills and criminal desistance via the use of redemptive narratives. Participants also attempted to acquire credentials outside of prison and/or pursued temporary, precarious jobs, aspiring for such physically strenuous and poorly paid work to materialize into stable employment. This study has implications for prison programming as well as policies and practices aiming to improve reentry outcomes.

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“…Currently, the RNR model is the leading correctional treatment paradigm in the United States, while the GLM is mostly considered complementary to RNR (Cullen, 2012). However, recent proposals envision a more meaningful integration of the two models that moves correctional rehabilitation beyond the RNR‐GLM debate (Ziv, 2018; see also; Wright, 2020).…”

Section: Correctional Rehabilitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correctional rehabilitation and positive psychology: Opportunities and challenges

2022

Self Cite

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At this point it is clear that the pursuit of the rehabilitative ideal is stitched into the DNA of American corrections.However, in our collective quest to establish and defend 'what works,' correctional rehabilitation has lingered in a state of preoccupation with risks, deficits, and individual pathology. The framework of Positive Psychology provides an alluring blueprint for an approach to correctional rehabilitation where people are not considered different humans who are reduced to their deficits and their worst decisions. In the current paper we explore the possibilities of incorporating the principles of Positive Psychology into correctional rehabilitation to help promote a notion of correctional success that is more dynamic, humanizing, and inclusive. We begin by discussing the development, progression, and current state of correctional rehabilitation. We then turn to discussing the development, progression, and current state of Positive Psychology, suggesting that there is a missed opportunity in applying its principles to people who are impacted by the criminal justice system. We conclude with a section discussing the opportunities and challenges of bringing correctional rehabilitation and Positive Psychology together.

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Time Well Spent: Misery, Meaning, and the Opportunity of Incarceration

Cited by 16 publications

References 82 publications

Confinement as a two‐stage turning point: Do changes in identity or social structure predict subsequent changes in criminal activity?^*

Confinement as a two‐stage turning point: Do changes in identity or social structure predict subsequent changes in criminal activity?^*

Damned if you do, damned if you don't: How formerly incarcerated men navigate the labor market with prison credentials*

Correctional rehabilitation and positive psychology: Opportunities and challenges

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About

Time Well Spent: Misery, Meaning, and the Opportunity of Incarceration

Cited by 16 publications

References 82 publications

Confinement as a two‐stage turning point: Do changes in identity or social structure predict subsequent changes in criminal activity?*

Confinement as a two‐stage turning point: Do changes in identity or social structure predict subsequent changes in criminal activity?*

Damned if you do, damned if you don't: How formerly incarcerated men navigate the labor market with prison credentials*

Correctional rehabilitation and positive psychology: Opportunities and challenges

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Confinement as a two‐stage turning point: Do changes in identity or social structure predict subsequent changes in criminal activity?^*

Confinement as a two‐stage turning point: Do changes in identity or social structure predict subsequent changes in criminal activity?^*